assail

[ uh-seyl ]

/ əˈseɪl /

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See synonyms for: assail / assailed / assailing / assailable on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to attack vigorously or violently; assault.

to attack with arguments, criticism, ridicule, abuse, etc.: to assail one's opponent with slander.

to undertake with the purpose of mastering: He assailed his studies with new determination.

to impinge upon; make an impact on; beset: His mind was assailed by conflicting arguments. The light assailed their eyes.

OTHER WORDS FOR assail

2 asperse, malign.

See synonyms for assail on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of assail

1175–1225; Middle English asaylen<Old French asalir<Late Latin assalīre, equivalent to Latin as-as- + salīre to leap, spring

synonym study for assail

1. See attack.

OTHER WORDS FROM assail

as·sail·a·ble, adjectiveas·sail·a·ble·ness, nounas·sail·er, nounas·sail·ment, noun

un·as·sailed, adjectiveun·as·sail·ing, adjective

Words nearby assail

ass, Assad, Assad, Hafez al-, assagai, assai, assail, assailant, Assam, Assamese, Assam States, assassin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use assail in a sentence

Back in February, he assailed long-term care workers who declined the vaccine.
GOP West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice is done with all that nonsense on vaccines|Aaron Blake|September 9, 2021|Washington Post
As warming mercilessly assailed them, I clung to the knowledge that the glacier I knew best remained the exception.
When Climate Change Came for My Favorite Glacier|smurguia|July 30, 2021|Outside Online
Cordell Hull, the congressman known as the “father” of the income tax, assailed the decision, according to scholar Marjorie Kornhauser.
The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax|by Jesse Eisinger, Jeff Ernsthausen and Paul Kiel|June 8, 2021|ProPublica
Certainly, the past year alone has assailed each of us with the fear of covid infection, loneliness, the death of loved ones and sickening instances of racial and ethnic injustice.
Cheer yourself up with light comedies from another era|Michael Dirda|March 31, 2021|Washington Post

Ahead of the vote, GOP lawmakers assailed the legislation as a defund-the-police effort.
House passes expansive policing overhaul bill named in honor of George Floyd|Felicia Sonmez, Colby Itkowitz|March 4, 2021|Washington Post
Politics seems to assail Carvalho, forcing him to take up former cudgels and defend his corner.
The Foodie Detective: The Pepe Carvalho Novels by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán|Malcolm Forbes|October 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The only group that it was okay to assail, she says, was liberals.
Reagan's Party No More|Eleanor Clift|September 1, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Days later, Al Gore suddenly surfaced after months of silence to assail President Obama for his failure to lead on climate change.
White House Stung By Clinton-Gore Essays|Eleanor Clift|June 23, 2011|DAILY BEAST
She felt the temptation assail her, as of late it had been assailing her faintly, to explore this territory.
The Daughters of Danaus|Mona Caird
The bishop and his episcopals can not be hair-brained enough to seek to restore old conditions and assail our liberty.
The Pilgrim's Shell or Fergan the Quarryman|Eugne Sue
They did not understand this manouvre, and supposed it to signify that the lieutenant did not deem it prudent to assail them.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan
Without waiting for them to assail him, the youth dashed forward like a panther at bay.
The Young Ranchers|Edward S. Ellis
If he wheeled about to assail the buck he was without a single weapon, while the Sioux was doubly armed.
Two Boys in Wyoming|Edward S. Ellis

British Dictionary definitions for assail

assail

/ (əˈseɪl) /

verb (tr)

to attack violently; assault

to criticize or ridicule vehemently, as in argument

to beset or disturbhis mind was assailed by doubts

to encounter with the intention of masteringto assail a problem; to assail a difficult mountain ridge

Derived forms of assail

assailable, adjectiveassailer, nounassailment, noun

Word Origin for assail

C13: from Old French asalir, from Vulgar Latin assalīre (unattested) to leap upon, from Latin assilīre, from salīre to leap

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

assail

OTHER WORDS FOR assail

Origin of assail

synonym study for assail

OTHER WORDS FROM assail

Words nearby assail

Words related to assail

How to use assail in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for assail

Derived forms of assail

Word Origin for assail